When Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques blasts into orbit next week atop a Russian rocket, his family back on Earth will be getting help from the highest level of the Canadian government. Payette was appointed governor general in July 2017, but her role helping the family pre-dates the appointment, according to one Canadian official. Saint-Jacques's launch to the International Space Station — his first space voyage — is set for 6:30 a.m. He will serve as the Soyuz co-pilot for the three-person mission alongside Russian mission commander Oleg Kononenko and American astronaut Anne McClain. She was selected to be an astronaut by the Canadian Space Agency in 1992 and first boarded the ISS in 1999 to take part in an assembly mission.

Source: CBC News November 25, 2018 18:22 UTC